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The Atlanta Hawks will unveil the statue of Dominique ‘The Human Highlight Film’ Wilkins on March 5 in a private ceremony.
The 13.5-foot-tall, 18,500-pound granite sculpture will feature Wilkins in one of his signature explosive poses. The statue was created by Brian Hanlon, the official sculptor of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and will be available for public viewing March 6 as it takes its place between the Atlanta letters at Philips Arena.
Thursday’s private unveiling will be for family, close friends, former teammates and other NBA legends, according to the team.
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“Dominique Wilkins has represented the Hawks organization and city of Atlanta in a first-class manner for over three decades,” Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena CEO Steve Koonin said in a statement. “He is synonymous with Atlanta sports greatness and this statue and week-long celebration is fitting for his contributions to Atlanta and his place as the greatest player in franchise history.”
Wilkins is one of three players in franchise history to have his uniform number (21) retired, joining Bob Pettit and Lou Hudson. He was named to seven All-NBA teams and won a Gold Medal as a member of the United States World Championship team in 1994. Wilkins played college basketball at The University of Georgia where he ended his career as the all-time scoring leader with averages of 21.6 points and 7.5 rebounds. A three-time All-SEC performer and Most Valuable Player of the 1981 Southeastern Conference Tournament, he was selected third overall in the 1982 NBA Draft.
Highlights from the private ceremony will be aired in a hour-long presentation, ‘Celebrating Nique’, at 8 p.m. on SportSouth.